Improvement in paper-files



tail joint.

- side.

UNITED STATES P'Arniv'r OFFICE.v

E. W. WOODRUFF AND GEORGE C. GREEN, OF WASHINGTON, D. C.

IMPROVEMENT INV PAPER-FILES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 76,287, dated March 3l, 1868.

To all whom it may concern:

' Beitknownthat we,EDMUND W.WooDRUFF, of Washington city, District of Columbia, and GEO. C. GREEN, of the same place, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Files for Holding Papers, Books, and other articles 5 and the followln g is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to thel accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 is a perspective of the paper-file, showing it when not in use. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same when in use. Fig. 3 is a view of the lever-clamp when detached.

The object oi' our invention is to provide a le for holding papers, books, and other similar articles, which, for safe keeping and convenience, it is necessary to keep together, but in such a manner as that they can be easily. taken out for use or reference.

Ourinvention consists in a mode of constructing the clamping device and other parts of the apparatus so as to secure the following advantages, viz: First, no portions of said deviceare exposed to contact with the shelf or table upon which the apparatus may be deposited, so as accidentally to liberate the papers; second, the elasticity of the confined papers cannot under any circumstances detach the clamping device, so as to liberate the said papers; third, the employment of side pieces or braces to render the end board stift' and unyielding, and to prevent papers from slipping out sidewise.

To enable others to make and use our improved paperfile` and book-holder, we will proceed to describeits construction and operation.

The case or receptacle, as shown in Fig. l,

is constructed of two pieces of wood, A A, three-eighths of an inch in thickness, four inches in width, and nine inches in length.

These are fastened together at the ends, at a right angle to each other, by means of a dovr- To these" are fastened sides B B,

which also serve the purpose of braces. The

sides may be made of thin wood or metal,

and may cover the whole or a portion of the Into the base-board is fitted the plate C. .This plate is of metal, and has a slot onefourth of an inch wide running nearly its entire length at the outer end. 1t is made wide enough to admitthe projecting lugs F F of the end of the lever-clampD. Aspaceis cut out below the plate to admit these Vlugs F F, and allowthe clamp to slide the whole length of the plate. The plate may be serrated on one or both sides, and the lugs on the clamp may be fitted to the serrations tomake it more dificult to loosen it. Y

The lever-clamp D is made of metal, and should be of such length as to extend from the plate far enough to bear at or about the 1 middle of the articles to be held. At the topv it has a cross-piece at right angles with it, so as to give a support to the file-board E, which rests against it. At the lower end of the lever 1), in addition to the lugs F F, there are two other lugs, G G, the two latter of which are at the heel, and .rest on the upper side of the-plate. The shorter ones, F F, pass under the plate, and are brought in contact with its lower side when in use.

rI he principle of operation is this: the part shown in Fig. 3, and letter D inFigs. l and 2, is a lever, the fulcrum of which is 4at the point where the lugs G G come in contact with the upper side of the plate. Thev resistance is at the point where the lugs F F come in contact with the under side ofthe plate C. The power applied is atV the upper end of the clamp-lever l), where it is in contact with the file-board E, and it is derived from the Velasticity of theW papers compressed, so that in proportion to the amount of power applied to compress the paper is the reacting power against the lever, and the pressure of the lugs againstl the plate is multiplied by the difference in the length of the two arrns of the lever.

The lugs F are made sufliciently broad laterally to prevent the lever D from fallingover forward when the file-board and papers are absentthat is, the said lugs are longer in the direction ofthe length of the plate O than the depth of the space below said plate in which said lugs travel.

When constructed for the purposes of a book-holder no file-board will be required, the stiftl cover of the book fully supplying its place in receiving the pressure of the clamping device. The addition of a handle will render it convenient for transportation, and a ring iuserted at the end of the plate C serves to hang the apparatus against the wall, in which condition it operates as a small shelf upon which the books may be deposited when not in use.

Operation: The lever D isput in operative connection with the other parts of the apparatus by inserting the lugs F F under the edges of the plate C, in the manner shown. When the papers are to be secured the leboard E is pushed up against them, the handV at the same time pushing the bottom of the lever D forward with the le-board. When the papers have been sufficiently compressed, and the bottom of the lever D pushed as far forward as necessary to retain the tile-board at the desired point, the different parts of the apparatus will occupy the relative positions shown in Fig. 2, where it will be observed the file-board is parallel with the head-board A, and is retained in that position, because it is supported by the pressure of the lever D at about its center of length on the one side, and by the elastic reaction of the confined paper about equally distributed above and below said center on the other side.

1t will be further observed that the lever D is inclined from its lower end forward toward the lile-board, so that when the latter is perpendicular to the base-board there will be a considerable space between the lower end of said file-board and the lower end of the clamplever D. This space is necessary to the efficient operation of the apparatus, for the reason that the efficiency of the lever D depends upon the condition that the resistance of the compressed paper shall be applied tothe up. per end of the clamp-lever D, because, if the pressure of resist-ance is applied at the bottom of the lever, it will becaused to slide back with comparative ease.

In placin g papers in the le it can never be arranged with certainty so that the pressure below the center shall not slightly overhalance the pressure above, and a small degree of latitude 'is therefore required to permit the file-board to adjust itself without interfering with the action of the clamp-lever.

When pressure is applied at the top of the lever D its action is to move said part back- Ward in the arc of a circle, of which the lugs ,G G would form the center. This movement of the top of the lever would impart a movement of the lugs F F in the contrary direction-t'. e.,`the top ofthe lever moves backward and downward, and the lugs F F move forward and upward. The upward movement of said lugs brings them in contact with the lower side of the plate C, and as the lugs G G rest upon the upper side vof said platea clamping action is obtained, productive of so much friction that the lugs F F and G G cannot slide along the surface of C, but will be retained at the same place.

It' the reactionary pressure of the confinedpaper is equally distributed against the surface of the lever D, then of course the bottom would be moved backward at the same time, and to the same extent, as the top, and no clamping effect could be obtained. If the le-board E is made independent and free from the lever D it may be placed in the position shown in Fig. 1, to support a portion of the papers while examining the remainder.

l 1f the lower end of the lever D should project below the lower surface of the base-board there would .be constant liability that, while replacing the apparatus upon the shelf, the edge of the same might come in contact with s aid projecting portion of the lever, and cause the same to slide back, so as to liberate the papers.

It will frequently happen that papers will be thicker on one side of the lile than on the other, and this might cause them to slip out of the package sidewise, if not restrained byside pieces such as B'.

Having described our invention, what We claim as new isl. rlhecclamp-lever D, .provided with the lugs F F G G, or their equivalents, combined with the base-board A, substantially as described, so that no portion of said clamping device shall project below the lower surface of said base-board when the apparatus is in operative condition. 2. The clamp-lever D, or its equivalent, and the file-board E, combined and arranged so that the pressure derived from the elasticity ot' the paper shall always be applied to the upper end of said lever, substantially as set forth, and to the effect described.

3. Making the file-board E, or its equivalent, separate from and independent of the clamping device, for the purpose set forth.

4. The plate C, or its equivalent, extending lengthwise through the central portion, but not to the edges of the base-board A, substantially as described, in .combination with the clamping device, so that the side pieces B B may be applied witho'ut interfering with the operation of said clamping device.

E. W. WOODRUFF. GEO. O. GREEN. Witnesses:

J. F. J oHNsoN, E. YoUNGs. 

